“Ah, I knew you had an ulterior motive!”
“You are starting to catch onto my ways. I may need to come up with new tactics to throw you off.”
“That’s not necessary,” I muttered, throwing my covers off as I rolled onto my stomach and laid my head on my arms. “Go ahead, before I change my mind.”
He just remained still, unmoving as his eyes drank me in.
A shiver passed down my spine, spreading goosebumps along my arms as I lay before him in nothing but my nightgown.
“Stars, you’re beautiful,” he muttered so softly that I almost didn’t catch it.
“If this is going to be a problem, you’re free to return to my desk and do whatever you were doing before we called Masmi—”
“No, Selena,” he breathed, licking his lips. “I’m fine, and I just needed to go over a few things on my visor.”
“A few things . . . Right,” I said pointedly.
“Just do me a favor, Selena,” he insisted. “Close your eyes and relax.”
I stared at the male for a moment. He was acting weird; he’d been like this since he returned with my Xowyn.
Was he upset that we had teased him? I’d thought he’d been enjoying himself and playing along, but now I wasn’t sure.
Sighing, I obeyed his request and closed my eyes, trusting him.
At the end of the day, though Kaede reported to Zirene and did his bidding, he still respected me. In a dangerous situation, I trusted him with my life—and the lives of my clan.
“I’ll be right back; I need to get something.”
In an instant, his weight disappeared from the mattress beside me. A few moments later, the familiar snap sounded as a body appeared behind me.
“It’s just me, Selena,” he whispered soothingly. “No one else but me.”
“I know,” I muttered. “Thanks for letting me know.”
The sound of something being squeezed filled the thick silence in the room. Having my eyes closed added a new level of trust—and anticipation—to this moment.
His calloused hands felt soft as they brushed my foot, earning him a squeal at the ticklish sensation.
“You asked for a foot massage,” he chuckled. “I figured I should start there.”
“Oh, you’re fine,” I moaned as he pressed his thumb into the arch of my foot. “I was just surprised, that’s all.”
“Do you want me to voice what I’m about to touch?” he whispered, sounding almost like a purr. “Or would you like to be surprised?”
“Up to you,” I muttered. “Just don’t stop.”
“Yes, my queen . . .” he drawled, almost too soft for me to hear.
When I opened my mouth to ask him why he’d called me that, he switched to the other foot, pulling another moan from me.
“Relax, Selena,” he mumbled. “I have you.”
And he did.
Slowly, he ran his hands down the length of my legs, only to move back up with a firm grip. Instead of stopping below the seam of my nightgown, he worked his hands underneath, kneading the skin just below my ass for a brief moment.
I shuddered at the sensation. His hands lingered tantalizingly along my inner thighs as he worked his way to the back of my knees.
Kaede slowly kneaded his fingers along the length of my legs again, focusing on the spots that earned him a moan from me.
“Do you want your nightgown on or off for your back?” he asked, his voice oddly thick.
“What works better for you?”
“It’s up to you, Selena. Your wish is my command.”
I raised an eyebrow at that statement but decided not to comment.
“You’ve already seen me naked before, so off is fine.”
Sitting up, I hurriedly tore off my garment and tossed it aside, resituating myself on my belly.
Almost instantaneously, his hands trailed along my back, one on each side of my spine. His fingers left a soft tingling sensation as he continued to run them back and forth, filling my mind with delightful sensations that washed over me.
I felt him place one leg on either side of mine, hovering above my ass.
Placing his palms on the bottom of my back, he slowly pushed upward, finally leaning over to grip my shoulders. His strong hands worked my muscles rhythmically as I felt his heavy breaths upon the nape of my neck.
I wondered how a movement so simple could feel so erotic. He moved his hands to both sides of my neck, kneading it skillfully with his agile fingers.
Kaede was right. He was good at giving massages. Almost too good.
Lying still, I let him work his palms up and down the crease of my neck, absorbing the sensations he was eliciting.
Suddenly, he paused, and I felt him softly breathing against my ear. The pace of his breaths increased until he was panting like he was running for his life.
“Kaede—”
As soon as I said his name, he nipped the lobe of my ear, tugging it swiftly but gently.
A moment later, he was gone.
Chapter Sixteen Z’fir
V’dim and Z’fir had spent the previous afternoon finishing up preparations for their combined date with their nestqueen.
They weren’t scholars like Xylo, able to offer random tidbits of information about everything, or musicians like Odelm, who could express himself with his music.
No, they were trained warriors and former commanders of the Circuli fleet. They had fought battles, seen death, and cheered for victories.
They were also bonded together as nestbrothers, sworn to each other since their time in the hatchery. It had been a struggle growing up around others, always the outsiders. Their own siblings and mother had shunned them.
In the end, all they had was each other . . . Until she came.
Selena was their blessing. Every time they thought things couldn’t get better, they did. It pained them that they couldn’t experience the same love as her Favored—not because they wanted to take their place, but because they wanted to be loved like their nestbrothers.
What was this feeling they raved about? Why was it worth sacrificing everything for?
They had thought they’d known what love was until they’d joined Selena’s clan and entered their mental
